The present invention broadly relates to weapon systems and, in particular, concerns a new and improved marine firing weapon or weapon system for fighting airborne targets, especially targets in zenith, and contains an azimuth alignment or aiming axis and an elevation alignment or aiming axis as well as a device for the infeed of belted ammunition.
Weapon systems for combating targets in zenith are known to the art. Reference is specifically made to German Pat. No. 329,461 in which there has been disclosed a marine or naval weapon system which is mounted by means of a Cardan mounting arrangement which contains a device for eliminating the movements of the marine vessel. Furthermore, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,961 where the azimuth axis and the elevation axis are arranged horizontally and at right angles to one another.
However, these weapons all are afflicted with the decisive drawback that there is rendered more difficult the infeed of the ammunition. Attempts have been made to circumvent such drawbacks in that the ammunition, for instance, is arranged in one or two drum magazines directly upon the elevationally movable part of the weapon. However, this is associated with the shortcoming that there must be accelerated relatively large masses. In the event rapidly moving targets must be tracked, then extremely large forces are necessary for aligning or aiming the weapon.
Other exemplary embodiments of weapon systems have been disclosed by way of example, and not limitation, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,351,370; 2,479,633; 2,483,385; 2,538,045 and 2,582,225; British Pat. Nos. 548,302; 583,410; 1,015,309 and 1,337,388; German Pat. Nos. 703,943 and 2,051,355; and French Pat. Nos. 23,851; 589,090; 971,356; 982,020; 1,052,733 and 2,426,239.